Circular elastic movable fender having spring expansion



Sept. 20, 1960 M. ROLANDO 2,952,979

CIRCULAR ELASTIC MOVABLE FENDER HAVING SPRING EXPANSION Filed July 18,1955 INVENTOR.

Mario Rolando Maxwell E .Sparrow ATTORNEY.

United States Patent CIRCULAR ELASTIC MOVABLE FENDER HAVING SPRINGEXPANSION Mario Rolando, Via Curtatone 1/ 15, Genoa, Italy Filed July18, 1955, Ser. No. 522,567

Claims priority, application Italy Dec. 3, 1954 3 Claims. (Cl. 61-48)This invention relates to maritime fenders, and more particularly tomaritime fenders which are used on piers to prevent docking ships frombeing damaged, or between ships, and the like.

Maritime fenders have been known composed of rope, pieces of Wood, usedtires and the like; however, all these fenders had one or the otherdisadvantages, they wore out too fast, were too expensive, had notenough elasticity, were too hard and were prone to damage the hull ofthe ships, and the like.

This invention presents a new and improved type of maritime fender, bywhich the aforementioned disadvantages are avoided. Objects andadvantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereafter and inpart will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practicing theinvention, the same being realized and attained by means of theinstrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.The invention consists in such novel features, arrangements andcombinations of parts as may be shown and described in connection withthe apparatus herein disclosed by way of example only and asillustrative of a preferred embodiment.

It is the main object of this invention to provide for new means to beplaced between a rigid wall of a pier and a floating vessel forprotecting both from being damaged by the movements of the latter.

Another object of the invention is to provide for tender means which cangive way and move elastically in all three coordinate directions.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide for fendermeans having a body composed of strong and shock resisting parts toresist the rough use in harbors, in open waters and the like.

Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide for fendermeans having elastic means on a rigid body for absorbing the shocks andimpacts imparted upon them by the floating vessels under the influenceof the surf. I

It is a further object of the present invention to provide for fendermeans wherein said elastic shock absorbing means consist of used trucktires and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide for fender means havingcontrivances for readily exchanging worn elastic, shock absorbing means.

A further object of the invention is to provide for fender means whichare practical, economical, conveniently handled and uncomplicated.

Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages willclearly appear from the detailed description given below taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings which form part of thisspecification and illustrate merely by way of example one embodiment ofthe device of the invention. In the following description and in theclaims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, butsuch names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar2,952,979 Patented Sept. 20, 1960 parts as the art will permit. Likereference characters denote like parts in the several figures of thedrawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a plan view of a maritime fender mounted on its supports,partly broken away;

Fig. 2 shows another way of suspending the said maritime fender;

Fig. 3 shows a floating body with two fenders mounted thereon;

Fig. 4 shows a partial section of Fig. 1 in a large scale.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings illustrating a preferredembodiment by which the invention may be realized. There is in Fig. 1 amaritime fender, consisting of a supporting bracket 11 mounted on thevertical wall of a pier P. The tender has two ball-shaped ends 12 whichare held in slidable bearing blocks 26. The ends 12 are part of anelongated cylindrical support 23. Concentrically circumposed about thiscylindrical support 23 is a cylindrical central support portion 13,spaced apart from the elongated cylindrical support 23 by spacers 22.Abutting against the two ends of this cylindrical central supportportion 13 are two annular heads 14 slidably mounted on said elongatedcylindrical support 23, said annular heads 14 being held in contact withsaid central support portion 13 by a plurality of steel tie rods 18.Springs 17 on said tie rods 18, abutting against the inner wall of theannular heads 14 and secured in their position relative to the tie rods14 by nuts 25, keep said tie rods 14 under tension and are holding saidannular slidable heads 14 resiliently abutting against the ends of saidcentral support portion 13.

Circumposed about the central support portion 13 and held between thetwo annular heads 14 are used truck tires 15 or the like resilientcircular means which may be filled with ropes 24 or with smaller tiresor any other resilient means for giving these fender means sufiicientstrength. The bearing blocks 26 for the ball-shaped ends 12, asmentioned before, are resiliently located in the arms of the supportingbrackets 11 by means of springs 16, so that the entire fender may rotateabout its axis in the bearings and may resiliently move to and from saidpier wall P.

Obviously any maritime vessel leaning against the resilient means of thefender, can easily move up and down without losing positive contact withits mooring and without running the danger of being damaged. It canfurther be seen that any movement of the moored vessel in a longitudinaldirection can be taken by this kind of construction without destruction,by virtue of the resiliently held, slidable annular heads.

Fig. 2 shows how the fender may be used without being permanentlylocated on "a pier in a harbor. It can be suspended on a rope 20 bymeans of hook members 19 which again are rotatably holding theball-shaped ends 12.

Fig. 3 illustrates a double fender mounted on both sides of a float orbuoy 21 which may be placed between two ships at a time when directloading or unloading operations from ship to ship take place, or whenships are tied up side-by-side.

Fig. 4 shows in an enlarged scale how the annular heads 14 are slidablymounted on the elongated cylindrical support 23 and are being heldresiliently under spring pressure against the ends of the cylindricalcentral support 13 having spacer means 22 thereon by means of tie rods18 and springs 17. Also shown are the resilient fender means such asused tires 15 filled with other resilient means 24.

It can be understood that a worn set of said resilient means 15 can bereplaced without major operation and without destroying any permanentlywelded or fixed parts. It also can be seen that the construction isrugged and apt to withstand the wear and tear to which such maritimeequipment is subjected.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect tocertain particular preferred example which gives satisfactory results,it will be understood by those skilled in the art afterunderstanding theprinciple of the invention, that various otherchanges and modificationsmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionand it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all'suchchange's'and modifications.

Iclaim:

1. In a marine fender comprising a base having'supports mounted thereonspring-supported bearing means resiliently arranged in said supports, afirst cylindrical member resiliently and rotatably located in saidsupports, a second cylindrical member having a substantially largerdiameter than the said first cylindrical member and concentricallymounted thereon, the combination with a plurality of annular cushionmembers fabricated of yieldable material and arranged in contiguousside-by-side relation slidably surrounding and substantially coveringsaid second cylindrical member, of a pair of annular heads slidablycircumposed about said first cylindrical member on opposite sidesthereof, and resiliently yieldable means arranged in the concentricspace between said cylindrical members said means connecting said headsfor rotation therewith and for maintaining said heads in resilientlyabutting engagement with the said second cylindrical member. 7

2. In a marine fender, an elongated generally cylindrical support havinga generally cylindrical concentric central support portion thereonhaving a larger diameter than that support, means mounting saidcylindrical support at its opposite ends for axial rotation, saidmounting means comprising a pair of spaced, outstanding members adaptedto be fixed perpendicularly to a pier, a pair of bearing blocks slidablymounted in said members and each rotatably supporting a respective endof said cylindrical support and resilient means in said members abuttingagainst each of said heating blocks to yieldably urge the same outwardaway from said pier, a plurality of annular cushion members fabricatedof yieldable material arranged in contiguous side-by-side relationslidably surrounding and substantially covering said central centralsupport portion, a pair of annular heads slidably circumposed about saidelongated generally cylindrical support on opposite sides of saidcentral support portion and of said cushion members, and resilient meansarranged in the concentric space between said cylindrical support andsaid central support portion and extending between said annular headsfor rotation therewith, said resilient means urging said heads intoabutting engagement with said central support portion.

3. In a marine fender, an elongated generally cylindrical support havinga generally cylindrical concentric central support portion thereonhaving a larger diameter than thattsupport, means mounting saidcylindrical support at its opposite ends for axial rotation, saidmounting means comprising a pair of spaced, outstanding members adaptedto be fixed perpendicularly to a pier, a pair of bearing blocks slidablymounted in said members and each rotatably supporting a respective endofsaid elongated cylindrical support and resilient means in said membersabutting againstfeach of said bearing blocks to yieldably urge the sameoutward away from said pier, a plurality of annular cushion membersfabricated of yieldable material arranged in contiguous side-by-siderelation slidably surrounding and substantially covering said centralsupport portion, 'a pair of annular heads slidably circumposedabout saidcylindrical support'on opposite sides of said central support portionand of said cushion members, and resilient means arranged in theconcentric space between said cylindrical support and said centralsupport portion, and extending between said annular heads for rotationtherewith, said resilient means comprising substantially n'gid tiemembers each extending between said heads and through said concentricspace between said two cylindrical supports, and spring means in each ofsaid heads engaging the adjacent ends of respective tie members andheads to urge said heads toward each other into abutting engagement withsaid central support portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent VUNITED STATES PATENTS

